skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Controversy Over Leaked HSS Proposal To Change Definition of Birth Control

play audio
Play

Tuesday, August 12, 2008   

Nashville, TN – It's a different kind of "language barrier." Controversy has erupted over a leaked "draft" rule from the Department of Health and Human Services that shows officials are considering changing the definition of abortion.

The concern comes as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reviews draft regulation that would deny federal funding to hospitals and clinics that require medical providers to offer abortion services.

Under the proposed language, family planning and women’s health advocates say access to birth control, such as the pill, could be limited. The draft proposal of federal rules would redefine "abortion" as anything that affects a fertilized egg. Family planning advocates warn that this broader definition would include most forms of hormonal birth control, intra-uterine devices (IUDs), and the type of emergency contraception commonly known as the "morning-after pill."

In his public blog, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt denies the reclassification of several common contraceptives, and says the agency's main concern is to allow health care workers to refuse to participate in procedures they find objectionable.

Women's health advocates remain concerned about potentially broad-ranging effects that will limit access to birth control.

Jeff Teague, president of Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee, sees the proposal as a last-ditch attempt by what he calls an "extreme anti-choice Administration" to reward the Religious Right for its support. The group most likely to be affected, Teague says, is low-income women who rely on publicly-funded family planning clinics. However, he contends, there are some outcomes that the current Administration might not have considered.

"If women do have unintended pregnancies, they may end up having children who will need federal assistance. The other possibility is that, if it leads to unintended pregnancies, it may increase the number of abortions that are provided as well. It is the most over-reaching regulation we've ever seen, and it's extreme."




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021